Sports are canceled. It’s a massive bummer for millions of people looking to root for their favorite team or sports player to win the match/game/fight, but there is another way to get your sports fix in this time of sportslessness. ESPN+ has thousands of hours of sports-related content to help scratch that sports-itch (you should get that looked at, by the way).
If you’re having sports-withdrawals, I recommend getting yourself set up with an ESPN+ subscription. There’s just so much there. It’s almost overwhelming. Today I’m going to make a personal recommendation for you to check out some of the classic boxing matches available on-demand.
Watch Classic Boxing on ESPN+
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Boxing has mostly been overshadowed by the rapid rise of mixed martial-arts. In fact, ESPN+ has thousands of UFC matches, as well as exclusive pay-per-view events, so if you’re a UFC fan, you won’t be disappointed. But today I want to recommend checking out the classic boxing available to stream on ESPN+.
Foreman vs. Ali: The Rumble in the Jungle
Muhammad Ali is the greatest boxer of all time, and his fights are legendary. There’s the Thrilla in Manilla, pitting Ali against Joe Frazier in the Philippines and is largely considered one of the best boxing matches of all time. Then there’s Ali/Liston 2, a controversial fight from 1965 that produced one of the most iconic sports photos of all time. Those should also be watched (basically all the Ali fights are worth checking out), but Rumble in the Jungle hits the sweet spot for length of watch and seeing Ali in peak form.
He employed his legendary “rope a dope” technique, and for much of the fight it looks as though Ali is headed for an embarrassing loss, as he’s literally up against the ropes for much of the match. However, it was a calculated strategy to wear down Foreman, focusing his hits where they would maximize energy loss and minimize points scored. Once Foreman is sufficiently tired, Ali springs into action and it’s amazing to watch.
Tyson vs. Spinks
Where Foreman vs. Ali was a battle of calculated strategy, Tyson vs. Spinks is a match of pure brutality. At the time of the fight, both Mike Tyson and Michael Spinks were undefeated. Tyson had possession of three belts: World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association, and the International Boxing Federation, but Spinks was considered the lineal boxing champion. At the time, the purse was the largest ever offered for a professional boxing match, with Spinks guaranteed a $14 million prize just for showing up.
What’s most interesting about this fight, to me, isn’t that it lasted a mere 91 seconds before Tyson’s brutal onslaught sent Spinks to the mat, but rather you can see in Spinks’ eyes he’s already lost before Tyson even made it to the ring. As Tyson’s industrial entrance theme rattled the Atlantic City Convention Hall, more noise than song, Spinks looked like a man questioning whether or not $14 million was worth taking a flurry of devastating punches from one of the sport’s fastest, hardest-hitting, and most brutal ringsmen to ever lace up a pair of gloves.
A minute and a half after the bell, Spinks earned his $14 million, and never fought again.
Boxing is just one small part of the overall ESPN+ package, and while there are dozens of famous historic matches to watch from legends like Rocky Marciano and even Jack Dempsey, there’s a ton of modern coverage, too. That’s in addition to the 30 for 30 documentaries, original shows, rebroadcasts of NHL hockey, MLS and other professional leagues, E60 segments and more. If you’re jonesing for sports right now, an ESPN+ subscription is just $4.99 a month, or you can bundle it with Disney+/Hulu for $12.99. It’s a treasure trove of sports content.
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Seth Macy is IGN’s tech and commerce editor and just wants to be your friend. Find him on Twitter @sethmacy.
Source: IGN.com How to Watch Sports While You're Stuck at Home